Question about Grande Ocean - resort and refurbishment [MERGED]

[LUVourMarriotts]

Hi all, we are at Grande Ocean now. We finish up the week on Friday. We are having a good time. This trip was to get a change of scenery for virtual learning and remote working.
We have also stayed at Barony several times and SurfWatch one time, as well as several other MVC locations.

My question is related to the resort and its upkeep/refurbishment. We have always seen people adamantly say that Grande Ocean is the best Marriott resort on Hilton Head Island. We also have friends that have been coming here since it opened, so have always heard them say that they loved it. So, when this opportunity popped up to come for a week, and it worked out, we were excited to see it. The resort itself isn't wow'ing us. The proximity to the beach is fantastic. Our villa is certainly run down. The bathroom looks like it hasn't been refurbished in 20+ years and looks like it had significant water damage/rotting. There are a few pieces of newer furniture, though. Is Grande Ocean coming up on a major refurbishment, and that is why we are seeing it this way?

While this is still a nice place, I'd say, from a villa perspective, Grande Ocean is at the bottom of our list from all resorts we have visited. I am not complaining about this stay, more interested in the refurbishment cycle for Grande Ocean. It may also give me some insight into the expectations I should have for the resorts that we own weeks at.

 

[dioxide45]

We are headed there in December, disappointing to hear this. Though they have a lot of buildings there and I am sure they are always cycling through refurbishments. Doubt they just do them all at once. Perhaps you hit one of the buildings toward the end of a cycle and it is due up soon?

 

[Fasttr]

Major refurb including bathroom reconfiguration starting Sept 27th I believe.

 

[Fasttr]

https://tugbbs.com/forums/threads/psa-grande-ocean-refurbishment-work-sep-2020-mar-2021.301698

 

[LUVourMarriotts]

https://tugbbs.com/forums/threads/psa-grande-ocean-refurbishment-work-sep-2020-mar-2021.301698

Thank you. I guess that explains it. I am here just before a major refurbishment, which means it hasn't been done in a while. The plan boards are nice. It will make a huge difference here. I'm also glad to hear they are replacing the sliding glass door in LR. In our unit, the "fixed" side of the door is broken and is not completely sealed to the outside.

 

[Big Matt]

I stayed four weeks at GO this summer. Other than the bathroom, I don't think it was run down at all. That said, Barony is the best refurb I've seen at any resort. They did amazing things with the master bath. Surfwatch has always had the newer style master bath. The reason I like GO is because of the location and proximity to a lot of things along with the amenities on site. Covid has dumbed down the amenities and I felt a very different vibe at GO than in the past. Not that it was a bad vibe, but nowhere near as vibrant.

 

[jme]

Grande Ocean's renovation/refurbishment starts very soon, as noted in above posts. Grande Ocean is vastly popular,
and get's an unusually high occupancy rate week-to-week throughout the year (one of Marriott's highest),
so the wear & tear is probably higher than most resorts.
However, it's one of Marriott's best-run resorts (true since 1998 when we purchased), and I have seen most of them.
Because of the recent hurricanes, and Covid, I think things deteriorated a bit, and knowing that the renovations were upcoming,
they were waiting for this month to come. Now it's here.
Great, because the bathrooms were in need of re-design. They hung onto the old master showers too long, but they always knew
the renovation of those would be extraordinarily costly due to the original layout (that was the underlying problem, and ultimate reason for delays).
I don't think the new look will be anything but fantastic. GO is hard to beat, regardless.
[Ad-like comment deleted.]
GO is a jewel, and the more we stay (above 85 stays currently, lost count) the more we love it.
The most newly constructed oceanfront Marriott resorts (even in Florida) don't have nearly the feel we yearn for,
so GO will always be the ultimate family beach destination in my mind.

 

[pedro47]

What building are you in ?

 

[jme]

I stayed four weeks at GO this summer. Other than the bathroom, I don't think it was run down at all. That said, Barony is the best refurb I've seen at any resort. They did amazing things with the master bath. Surfwatch has always had the newer style master bath. The reason I like GO is because of the location and proximity to a lot of things along with the amenities on site. Covid has dumbed down the amenities and I felt a very different vibe at GO than in the past. Not that it was a bad vibe, but nowhere near as vibrant.

Big Matt is correct........GO is not run down, but does show some wear & tear, as all beach resorts of high occupancy eventually do.
We were at Grande Ocean in Jan, Feb, June and also in August 2 weeks ago, and everything was fine in all the units we occupied
(especially knowing a renovation was soon to start).
But as Big Matt says, the bathrooms (specifically the master showers & tub only), still had the original 1998 original design/layout
with the huge jacuzzi tub.
Over the years we realized those tubs were rarely utilized, so there it sat year after year, like a dinosaur, as most owners said,
so for a long time we lobbied to have those removed and replaced. It was apparently a very costly endeavor to accomplish,
so it remained only on the to-do list.
Now finally, management relented and it'll happen. It wasn't a bad shower, just the design/layout was outdated.
And so as every other HH resort was renovated, GO remained "as is" regarding that master shower.
The sinks and fixtures, cabinets and mirrors were all modern---as were the rest of the villas (furniture, fixtures, carpet, etc),
having been redone a couple of times during normal renovations. We loved the sinks, the faucets, the back-lit mirrors---
but it was just that awkward trapezoid-shaped shower that was annoying and old-school.

Also, Big Matt rightly says (as I did years ago on TUG after staying at Barony immediately following their renovation)
that the barony renovation was the best one Marriott has done anywhere in a long, long time.
The design changes, especially the bathroom & shower, the color schemes, the overall decor-- furniture, fixtures, etc, were all perfect.....
beautifully modern and well-executed. In our minds, it would remain the gold standard for all future villa renovations,
and that view was shared by all that saw it. It will age too, but right now, it continues to be a big winner in everyone's opinion.

And yes, lack of amenities is an issue during Covid, but we all know that can't be helped and is necessary.
Grande Ocean had so many wonderful amenities, so the loss of them has been truly felt.
Yet, a better day will come, and the old feel will return.

 

[Dean]

Hi all, we are at Grande Ocean now. We finish up the week on Friday. We are having a good time. This trip was to get a change of scenery for virtual learning and remote working.
We have also stayed at Barony several times and SurfWatch one time, as well as several other MVC locations.

My question is related to the resort and its upkeep/refurbishment. We have always seen people adamantly say that Grande Ocean is the best Marriott resort on Hilton Head Island. We also have friends that have been coming here since it opened, so have always heard them say that they loved it. So, when this opportunity popped up to come for a week, and it worked out, we were excited to see it. The resort itself isn't wow'ing us. The proximity to the beach is fantastic. Our villa is certainly run down. The bathroom looks like it hasn't been refurbished in 20+ years and looks like it had significant water damage/rotting. There are a few pieces of newer furniture, though. Is Grande Ocean coming up on a major refurbishment, and that is why we are seeing it this way?

While this is still a nice place, I'd say, from a villa perspective, Grande Ocean is at the bottom of our list from all resorts we have visited. I am not complaining about this stay, more interested in the refurbishment cycle for Grande Ocean. It may also give me some insight into the expectations I should have for the resorts that we own weeks at.

We had 14 units this summer, it did look like it was coming on time for a hard refurbishment as it is but nothing to say it was at all run down.

 

[LUVourMarriotts]

We were in Kingfisher building, 8615. I am not talking about the exterior ground or the amenities. I think the exterior grounds were nice. Don't get me wrong, we had a very nice stay at the resort. I was just asking because, like I said, from a villa perspective, the villa we were in is probably the least appealing that we have stayed in, at any MVC resort. Since there will be a major refurbishment starting now, that should cover it.

Things we saw, that made it less appealing in the villa are:

• Bathroom trim rotted and falling apart near the bottom of the door
• Kitchen cabinets that did not shut properly and were very worn
• Really badly patched holes in the ceiling and walls
• Tile areas completely missing grout
• Sliding glass door did not close completely, completely rusted on outside
• The bead of caulk around the jacuzzi tub was at least an inch wide in most areas
• The living room furniture seemed random and old. (two non-matching chairs, 3 different end tables, 2 different lamps, couch seemed old)

It seems like most of this should be updated during the refurbishment, and I'm sure it will be beautiful.

 

[dioxide45]

We were in Kingfisher building, 8615. I am not talking about the exterior ground or the amenities. I think the exterior grounds were nice. Don't get me wrong, we had a very nice stay at the resort. I was just asking because, like I said, from a villa perspective, the villa we were in is probably the least appealing that we have stayed in, at any MVC resort. Since there will be a major refurbishment starting now, that should cover it.

Things we saw, that made it less appealing in the villa are:

• Bathroom trim rotted and falling apart near the bottom of the door
• Kitchen cabinets that did not shut properly and were very worn
• Really badly patched holes in the ceiling and walls
• Tile areas completely missing grout
• Sliding glass door did not close completely, completely rusted on outside
• The bead of caulk around the jacuzzi tub was at least an inch wide in most areas
• The living room furniture seemed random and old. (two non-matching chairs, 3 different end tables, 2 different lamps, couch seemed old)

It seems like most of this should be updated during the refurbishment, and I'm sure it will be beautiful.

A question is, why was it allowed to get this bad? Do they not go through a 5 year soft goods refurb where other obvious items are repaired? Usually new paint every five years also.

 

[Dean]

We were in Kingfisher building, 8615. I am not talking about the exterior ground or the amenities. I think the exterior grounds were nice. Don't get me wrong, we had a very nice stay at the resort. I was just asking because, like I said, from a villa perspective, the villa we were in is probably the least appealing that we have stayed in, at any MVC resort. Since there will be a major refurbishment starting now, that should cover it.

Things we saw, that made it less appealing in the villa are:

• Bathroom trim rotted and falling apart near the bottom of the door
• Kitchen cabinets that did not shut properly and were very worn
• Really badly patched holes in the ceiling and walls
• Tile areas completely missing grout
• Sliding glass door did not close completely, completely rusted on outside
• The bead of caulk around the jacuzzi tub was at least an inch wide in most areas
• The living room furniture seemed random and old. (two non-matching chairs, 3 different end tables, 2 different lamps, couch seemed old)

It seems like most of this should be updated during the refurbishment, and I'm sure it will be beautiful.

Sounds like you got a bad unit, it happens at all resorts from time to time. I suspect they were just trying to make it to the full refurbishment. GO historically has done 2 buildings at a time but the last time they did a hard refurbishment they learned that it was a LOT cheaper to do them all together. The planned changes look great with some signifiant upgrades IMO if the come off as planned. Usually they do a test villa, I don't know if they did that time time.

 

[jme]

We were in Kingfisher building, 8615. I am not talking about the exterior ground or the amenities. I think the exterior grounds were nice. Don't get me wrong, we had a very nice stay at the resort. I was just asking because, like I said, from a villa perspective, the villa we were in is probably the least appealing that we have stayed in, at any MVC resort. Since there will be a major refurbishment starting now, that should cover it.

Things we saw, that made it less appealing in the villa are:

• Bathroom trim rotted and falling apart near the bottom of the door
• Kitchen cabinets that did not shut properly and were very worn
• Really badly patched holes in the ceiling and walls
• Tile areas completely missing grout
• Sliding glass door did not close completely, completely rusted on outside
• The bead of caulk around the jacuzzi tub was at least an inch wide in most areas
• The living room furniture seemed random and old. (two non-matching chairs, 3 different end tables, 2 different lamps, couch seemed old)

It seems like most of this should be updated during the refurbishment, and I'm sure it will be beautiful.

This has already been addressed:
You mention bathroom trim-------as mentioned numerous times, those bathrooms are up next for a MAJOR renovation starting this month.
Kitchen cabinets have never been replaced, but I believe those will be addressed too.
Tile areas will be redone/replaced during bathroom renovation.
Jacuzzi tub will be completely REMOVED and replaced.
LR furniture will be replaced----sofa, coffee table, etc. and other fixtures.

 

[dioxide45]

Sounds like you got a bad unit, it happens at all resorts from time to time. I suspect they were just trying to make it to the full refurbishment. GO historically has done 2 buildings at a time but the last time they did a hard refurbishment they learned that it was a LOT cheaper to do them all together. The planned changes look great with some signifiant upgrades IMO if the come off as planned. Usually they do a test villa, I don't know if they did that time time.

So was the last major refurb on the 2 building cycle? That means it is possible that it has been eight years since at least two of the buildings have gone through a major refurbishment? If so, that could explain the issues.

 

[dioxide45]

This has already been addressed:
You mention bathroom trim-------as mentioned numerous times, those bathrooms are up next for a MAJOR renovation starting this month.
Kitchen cabinets have never been replaced, but I believe those will be addressed too.
Tile areas will be redone/replaced during bathroom renovation.
Jacuzzi tub will be completely REMOVED and replaced.
LR furniture will be replaced----sofa, coffee table, etc. and other fixtures.

While I can understand that these are being addressed now, I do still have concerns as to why things were allowed to go this far?

 

[Dean]

So was the last major refurb on the 2 building cycle? That means it is possible that it has been eight years since at least two of the buildings have gone through a major refurbishment? If so, that could explain the issues.

I can't remember if they did 2 then 2 then the other 6 over a 2 plus year period or 2 plus 8 in just over a year apart. I'm thinking it was the former. I don't recall the exact year so it could be that some of them are over 10 years for a hard refurbishment.

 

[jme]

While I can understand that these are being addressed now, I do still have concerns as to why things were allowed to go this far?

We are there a lot, and frankly we have not seen these issues as described, not once.
If so, I would have reported such.
So I haven't seen it any worse than during the last 22 years of our ownership leading up to a renovation or refurbishment,
and I believe I hear others echoing the same sentiment...they haven't found it as bad as described either.

We are always there 2 weeks in January, 2 weeks in February, 1 week in April, and 6 weeks in June...
That makes 11 weeks per year, and also
a couple of long weekends on random spontaneous trips scattered throughout the year.

My only speculation is that there had to be isolated units that were worse, for unknown reasons. And the pandemic definitely didn't help.
Bringing in construction people or maintenance people from outside Marriott could have been an issue (I'm not privy to those decisions)
except in dire circumstances rather than in small improvements, when a major renovation was upcoming.
I don't know if the increase in allowing pets had anything to do with it, but I do know a ton of money is spent on cleaning units each time a guest leaves after having a pet there, and I promise you, those were NOT all service animals. and it happens a lot.
We frequently arrive and see the service trucks with long hoses cleaning units, and that has to add wear & tear.
Not meaning to start another conversation or controversy, but I'm just mentioning it as an ongoing concern of mine.
More owners than you know are fed up with it. Floors, upholstered furniture, and most surfaces must be treated.
I realize the other things mentioned have nothing to do with that, but the furniture and carpets do.

 

[dioxide45]

We are there a lot, and frankly we have not seen these issues as described, not once.
If so, I would have reported such.
So I haven't seen it any worse than during the last 22 years of our ownership leading up to a renovation or refurbishment,
and I believe I hear others echoing the same sentiment...they haven't found it as bad as described either.

We are always there 2 weeks in January, 2 weeks in February, 1 week in April, and 6 weeks in June...
That makes 11 weeks per year, and also
a couple of long weekends on random spontaneous trips scattered throughout the year.

My only speculation is that there had to be isolated units that were worse, for unknown reasons. And the pandemic definitely didn't help.
Bringing in construction people or maintenance people from outside Marriott could have been an issue (I'm not privy to those decisions)
except in dire circumstances rather than in small improvements, when a major renovation was upcoming.
I don't know if the increase in allowing pets had anything to do with it, but I do know a ton of money is spent on cleaning units each time a guest leaves after having a pet there, and I promise you, those were NOT all service animals. and it happens a lot.
We frequently arrive and see the service trucks with long hoses cleaning units, and that has to add wear & tear.
Not meaning to start another conversation or controversy, but I'm just mentioning it as an ongoing concern of mine.
More owners than you know are fed up with it. Floors, upholstered furniture, and most surfaces must be treated.
I realize the other things mentioned have nothing to do with that, but the furniture and carpets do.

Thanks for the explanation. I wasn't sure if it was possible if some units had gone longer than usual between refurbs due to the switch from a two building refurb cycle to all the buildings at once. Obviously with a switch like that, it would go one of two ways. Buildings would be refurbed ahead of schedule or some would be behind schedule. So thought that may be the cause of some of the issue.

 

[Big Matt]

It's pretty well known that some units are used mostly for daily or short stays and others are turned every week as normal. This isn't for GO, but in general across timeshares. When some units are in need of repair or have some damage they rotate into the daily or short stay list. In the off season, they are taken off line for paint, drywall work, etc. and then rotated back in. They try to keep the best units for the owners.

So it is entirely possible that someone like JME is getting the better units than say, someone who doesn't own there, traded in, etc., but I'm not so sure. I was also at GO for four weeks over the summer, and all of the units I was in (3) where fine. Yes, the master bath needs to be modernized and I can't wait to stay in a new one when the refurbs are done. Yes, the kitchen cabinets are old, but they aren't falling apart or anything like that. All of the furniture was in great shape as were the appliances, carpet, and other flooring. Beds were comfortable.

 

[LUVourMarriotts]

I rented this unit direct from an owner for a week. It seems like some are suggesting that I didn't really see what I am reporting, or I am exaggerating. I'm not really sure what I would gain by doing that, but OK. I'm also not trying to bash this resort that many people love. My main question was, is this resort coming up for refurbishment? The answer was given, yes. Great, then all of these things should be resolved. However, I, like dioxide45, was also concerned about why it had gotten to this point, and hoping to learn how long it had been between refurbishment. I got part of the answers in the thread. Thank you. I own at 3 resorts and also own points, so I do have an interest in why the quality of the unit was the way it is, because I hope to not experience these things at the resorts that I frequent.

Could we have asked for a new villa, or complained? Sure. But, it wasn't to the point where we couldn't stay there. Yeah, the kitchen cabinets were dropping from the ceiling, but they were still hanging. This was also an end unit, so we felt this was better, since our daughter was doing virtual school all week, and sound would be less.

 

[Dean]

I rented this unit direct from an owner for a week. It seems like some are suggesting that I didn't really see what I am reporting, or I am exaggerating. I'm not really sure what I would gain by doing that, but OK. I'm also not trying to bash this resort that many people love. My main question was, is this resort coming up for refurbishment? The answer was given, yes. Great, then all of these things should be resolved. However, I, like dioxide45, was also concerned about why it had gotten to this point, and hoping to learn how long it had been between refurbishment. I got part of the answers in the thread. Thank you. I own at 3 resorts and also own points, so I do have an interest in why the quality of the unit was the way it is, because I hope to not experience these things at the resorts that I frequent.

Could we have asked for a new villa, or complained? Sure. But, it wasn't to the point where we couldn't stay there. Yeah, the kitchen cabinets were dropping from the ceiling, but they were still hanging. This was also an end unit, so we felt this was better, since our daughter was doing virtual school all week, and sound would be less.

I don't think anyone doubted what you stated only that it is not the usual even at this stage in it's cycle. You apparently got a bad unit for whatever reason.

 

[Big Matt]

Brady, I went back and reread your original post. In fairness you called out the one item that is about to be redone so you are spot on. I stay there a lot and would think the kitchen cabinets would need to be on some sort of rotation soon. The flooring and furniture are pretty new.

I think you missed some of what is great about GO due to the covid. It is normally vibrant. Families with all age groups are there to have fun and spend time together. People are happy and congregate all day and well into the night. It is festive. There are great activities and fun themed cookouts, special things for kids, exercise classes, etc.. People are in the hot tubs, playing corn hole, bocce, and putt putt. People go the beach to take memorable pictures. People get dressed up to go out to dinner. I can go on and on. You missed most if not all of that, and that's unfortunate.

People who are passionate about GO are passionate because of the experience, memories, and not necessarily about the villas. It's hard to explain to someone who has never experienced it.

 

[brego]

Has anyone been to Grand Ocean HHI since they began the villa renovations? I was wondering if the noise associated with the work affects the outdoor areas and buildings near the renovations? Thank you for any information you might be able to provide.

 

[pedro47]

Does anyone have any photos of a villa that have been completely renovated ?